The AirPods Pro 3 sound great, but what if it's not "your" sound? | Image by PhoneArena
Here's a cold take: Apple's AirPods sound good. They don't have a particular character or some sort of twist to them. They just sound polite, balanced, and cast as wide a net as possible.
General consumers love them because they know they can expect the same high quality as their last set. Audiophiles tend to avoid them, because they prefer something with more grit or character over a vanilla cookie-cutter sound.
With iOS 27, everyone may end up being happy. Apple promises a custom EQ!
Personally, I really like the AirPods and even use a set of gen 1 AirPods Maxes quite often. Awesome headphones when you just something that starts as soon as you pick it up and sounds good no matter what. But, in pretty much every "versus" review I've done on earbuds or headphones over the past couple of years, AirPods always get the "Yes, but" treatment. Competitors have advanced and responsive EQs... Apple doesn't.
A ton of special features, not a since EQ setting | Image by PhoneArena
Apple does have a reputation of doing things the "Apple way". You can have any color of AirPods Pro that you want, as long as you want white ones. You can have any sound signature you desire, as long as you want it to be a V-shape with enhanced low end and chimey highs.
The "Apple way" is no more. Custom EQ is here - it's your way now!
Nothing's Advanced EQ is the current best in consumer wireless headphones | Image by PhoneArena
Apple just announced that, with iOS 27, we will be getting custom EQ options for the AirPods! Unfortunately, it was a throwaway line, so we haven't seen any in-depth demo of how it will work.
Recommended For You
However, the graphic they showed isn't too promising. It just has three bands - low, mid, high. Hopefully, that was just a... mockup?
Apple's demo of the Custom EQ doesn't look breathtaking | Image by Apple
It being Apple, I do expect a decent set of bands and boosting options, but also it's very possible we get an "Apple curveball" in there. For example, it could be an auto-gain compensating EQ (doesn't let you boost a frequency too much, instead lowers the others). Or, it could use the inside microphones of the AirPods to scan your ear canal and suggest EQ settings for you to begin with, teaching you what each band does in the process.
The latter sounds pretty reasonable. AirPods already use the tech to dynamically adjust their EQ depending on content, your environment, and the way the headphones are placed on your head (in the case of the AirPods Max). It would be kind of cool if we get limited access to this tech, so we get a bit of help when customizing our own EQ for the first time!
Six-month unlimited plan is now 57% off
$90
$210
$120 off (57%)
Mint Mobile is now allowing you to get whichever plan you like for either three, six, or 12 months for just $15/mo. If you go for the six-month unlimited service, for instance, you'll now have to pay just $90 upfront instead of $210.
Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: